|
|
|
|
Kardinal Offishall: "Quest for Fire: Firestarter Vol.1 |
 |
Canadian rapper. Two words that when placed together often draw snickers and blank looks. Rap is supposed to be strictly an American anomaly, with the typical East Coast-West Coast rivalries. The thug image produced by many rappers turns off many people in Canada. That's not us, we say.
Well Canada, it is you. The Canadian hip hop scene is filled not with the transplanted American image, but with its own unique style.
Kardinal Offishall (birth name Jason Harrow) released his first album, Quest for Fire: Firestarter Volume 1, this past April despite a strong history of recordings. The Kardinal won a Juno Award for his work on The Rascalz hit single "Northern Touch." He was also Juno-nominated in 1997 for Best Rap Recording. He's shared the stage or the studio with a plethora of hip hop stars including Wu Tang Clan, The Roots, Beastie Boys, and the old school legends Run DMC.
You can tell that Quest for Fire is a Canadian album. How? Because it is devoid of swearing and mentions of guns. Sure there are lyrics mentioning sex and drugs, but compared to current hot sellers D12 and Tha Eastsidaz, its surprisingly refreshing.
|
EMusic FREE Trial MP3 Subscriptions
Market your band or artist
Get 100 Free 80's MP3s at EMusic
Kardinal has stated on several occasions that he will not submit to the American stereotype of a rapper, shooting off his mouth and his gun. He is proudly Canadian, and shows it in his songs, refusing to sell out. Mentions of T dot, Kardi's slang for his hometown of Toronto, are rampant on the CD.
Aside from his cleaner approach to rap and Canadian nationalism, Kardinal Offishall's album is still a gold mine for distinctive material. On "Man By Choice" he speaks out against closet racists, people who act nice but still hold their prejudices within. He throws in a touch of reggae beat to accent his Jamaican heritage in "Maxine." And the majority of his songs are not filled with the usual synthesized beat, as The Kardinal uses horns, a piano, a xylophone, and various other instruments to pique the listener's interest. And finally, there's the invigorating "U R Ghetto 2002," a witty and hilarious rap homage to Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck…" routines.
In short, Kardinal Offishall is a breath of fresh air for people looking to see rap from a different perspective. Even if you aren't a rap connoisseur, Quest for Fire: Firestarter Vol. 1 is a brilliant stepping-stone for people looking to get into the oft controversial genre.
By Patrick MacDonald, CanEHdian.com
|
Visitor Comments:
I agree with what your article says. It is great that Kardinal represents Canada with a clean a cool image, not like that Yankee Gangsta image that everyone has going for them. He chooses to talk about other topics than the "bling bling" and i respect him for that. I am an avid Kardinal listener and i hope to see Canadian rap explode in the mainstream rap we have today.
Submitted by: Jeff
|
Submit a review or article on Kardinal Offishall: |
|
Express your views online: If you have an article, album or concert review you wish to
share with others, submit it here. We will review
your contribution and potentially publish it!
| | |
Album review copyright CanEHdian.com 2001 (All Rights Reserved)
|
| |
|
|
|
Visit Our Sponsors |
|
|
|
